Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-Selassie, “Mama Koko” holds the Master of Science degree in Reading, the MFA degree in Creative Writing and the Doctorate of Arts degree in the Interdisciplinary Humanities. Recently retired as Professor of English at Coppin State University in the Humanities Department, she was a 2009-2010 Fulbright Scholar at the University of Cocody, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, a National Council for Black Studies fellow at the University of Ghana, Legon, a Fulbright-Hays fellow in Cairo, Egypt, a New York University Scholar-in-Residence, a Mellon fellow at the Gorée Institute in Dakar, Senegal, and a Fulbright-Hays Scholar in the Republic of South Africa. “Dancing Between Two Realms: Sacred Resistance and Remembrance in African American Culture,” “I Got a Home in Dat Rock: Memory, Orisa, and Yoruba Spiritual Identity in African American Literature” in Orisa: Yoruba Gods and Spiritual Identity in Africa and the Diaspora, as well as several journal articles including, “Women Who Know Things: African Epistemologies, Ecocriticism, and Female Spiritual Authority in the Novels of Toni Morrison. She is also the author of a book of critical essays titled, African Spiritual Traditions in the Novels of Toni Morrison a 2009 publication of the University Press of Florida, which won the best book award from the Toni Morrison Society in Paris, 2010. Her novel is titled, The Second Line. Her literary imagination is peopled by sex workers, women adept in making poison, root women, stargazers, astral travelers, shape-shifters, abandoned children, maroons, and lonely widows in search of sexual satisfaction. She writes the words that her ancestors whisper bringing those otherworldly interactions alive. A priest of Obàtálá in the Lukumi Yoruba tradition, she is a descendant of a matrilineal group of Hoodoo believers from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Fiona continues her mission to make Caribbean history and culture accessible to all through events and online through her account ‘Know Your Caribbean’ via Instagram which facilitates educational posts on short palatable bursts. Know Your Caribbean believes that education, done the right way, can change the lives of people of all ages who have a longing to reconnect to their heritage. 

Know Your Caribbean, starting in 2017 has amassed a global audience engaging in historical and cultural discussion, and currently reaches 2 million individual accounts per month, becoming the number 1 online platform for Caribbean history in the world. 

With a combination of archival and contemporary film, photographs, art, as well as a history centred podcast listened to in over 70 countries.

Fiona is also trustee and resident historian for the largest Racial Justice project in the United Kingdom - The World Reimagined. 

Fiona, as the person behind Know Your Caribbean has facilitated events/presentations internationally in Toronto, Canada for Caribana, New Orleans for Essence Festival – the largest African American Festival in the USA, and the New Orleans African American History Museum, with clients including Meta, Bloomberg, and Amazon.  For the summer of 2022, Fiona’s creative writing surrounding the legacy of Black Women and Hair was exhibited in Copenhagen, Denmark as part of Jeannette Ehler’s acclaimed exhibition – Archives in the Tongue - Litany of Freedoms.

taj anwar is a native Atlantan and descendant of the well-known Perrin Family (South Carolinian geechees who relocated to Atlanta after World War II). Tajhiek Anwar Baoll (taj’s full name) is a mother, sociologist, veteran community organizer, activist, farmer, direct-entry midwife and breastfeeding specialist, business owner, event organizer, panelist, initiated/ crowned Iyalosa Obatala in the Lucumi/ Santeria tradition, Iyanifa in traditional Isese (Ifa), and a Yayi in Palo Mayombe. Her businesses, events, and co-ops have refined her skills and centered them around the guiding principles of food, clothing, and shelter; prison reform, and access to quality medical care.

taj anwar founded MOBBB- Mothers of Black and Brown Babies in 2006, which naturally evolved into Real Whole, Inc (501c3) and the Real Whole House; a community holistic health center, bed and breakfast, birth and postpartum center was founded by taj anwar, in which she serves as an innkeeper, farmer, birth worker attendant, and caretaker.

In addition to her community work, taj is also a career paramedic Captain with a major metropolitan public safety department, a critical and trauma care Paramedic for the number one trauma hospital in the state, a civil service member in Atlanta; and a blue-collar, working-class champion.

Nicknamed “Beretta Scott King,” BSK for short was earned in her youth for a being proficient firearm operator of the Beretta M9. taj anwar can also be found working with weaponry training classes all over the country. taj anwar is an active member of the FTP Movement, Zulu Nation, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., 256 Arts and an affiliate of several community organizations.

“I belong to the people. I belong to the city of Atlanta. I belong to the world. It’s not about me. It’s not about who the credit goes to. It’s about the work and getting the work done.” ~ taj anwar

D. Danyelle Thomas, MPP is a Black faith and spirituality speaker, author, public theologian, spiritualist, and activist. Danyelle’s work centers on the intersection of faith and social justice, particularly with regards to issues of race, gender, and sexuality. She passionately highlights the experiences and perspectives of Black religious experience and is committed to uplifting the voices of marginalized communities within it.

Founder of Unfit Christian, her approach is deeply grounded in the Christian tradition and reclamation of integrative African spiritual practices. She emphasizes the importance of actively working towards social change and liberation for all people.

Danyelle holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies and a Master of Public Policy with a specialization in Social Policy. Her blend of urban flair and intellectual prowess makes her the divine truth to tune into during this upcoming season of faithful rebellion to conventional belief systems. As a public theologian, she continues to push the boundaries of what it means to live out a faith that is committed to justice and liberation for all. Her book, The Day God Saw Me as Black (Row House Publishing), is now available.

Paris Marion is the owner of Bossy Bruja — an online brand and eCommerce shop dedicated to serving reawakening witches and practicing occultists of varying paths and diverse backgrounds. She started her spiritual journey as a yogi when she was 17 and has worked as a diviner for 19 years. She currently teaches majikal theory and practice through her new app BRUJAS which welcomes all practitioners. She is an initiate of Palo Mayombe and has received her warriors in the Lucumi faith. Her favorite work is crafting oils and sharing daily prayers with her online community to inspire others to pursue a direct and personal relationship with the Divine. To find more information about Paris and her work through Bossy  Bruja you can find her online @bossybruja on IG.

Ade Efunbukola is an author, Ifa priest, linguist, social media influencer, and app developer. Ade is the second generation in his family to initiate into the priesthood of an African spiritual tradition. His interest in African spirituality came first from watching his father play his role as Akomfo (priest of the Akan spiritual tradition). In the year 2013, Ade initiated to Obatala in Abeokuta Nigeria, which was then followed by his Ifa initiation. He has since developed several Ifa related apps and games. He creates educational African spiritual content through his social media. He teaches classes on African spirituality. He has been studying Yoruba language intensely for the past five years and is semi-fluent. In the year 2022, he published his first book titled: The African American Griot: Proverbs in Hip Hop and R&B.

New Orleans Native and Visionary, Sunni Patterson, is an internationally acclaimed Poet, Performer, Workshop Facilitator, Certified Spiritual Life Coach/Consultant, and an Initiated Priestess and Minister. She began her career as a full-time high school Teacher, and much of her life since has been devoted to serving as a Cultural Worker and Activist. Armed with an engaging story and voice, Sunni deliberately uses art, poetry, and praise (Ancestral remembrance) to encourage dialogue, connectivity, spiritual awareness, and healing. She has had the privilege of studying under great Scholars and Teachers, allowing her to become a diligent student in the Healing and Spiritual Arts. Her Artistry and Gift has allowed her to grace a plethora of stages and platforms. Whether speaking at TEDWomen, featuring on Grammy award winning Hip-Hop albums, officiating a wedding, or cooking up breakfast for families in the Community, you can rest assured, Sunni’s way and words bring us all to a place of recollection, remembrance, and hope. 

Sunni is a 2020/2021 John O’Neal Cultural Arts Fellow. She currently serves as a Resident Artist for both the City of New Orleans’ Claiborne Corridor Cultural Initiative and Junebug Productions. She is also co-founder, along with Scientist and Atmospheric Chemist, Cherelle Blazer, of Environmental Arts and Public Health Organization, Breath is Lyfe.  

Description goes Charlotte Duerr James is an Educator and initiated Medicine Woman of Afro-Caribbean and Germanic lineage. She works to create a world in which everyone is able to live in fearless pursuit of their radical transformation. She uses her skills as an educator, therapeutic coach, and ceremonial facilitator to build and engage a community focused on pursuing collective liberation.

Charlotte has been exploring her own mind and spirit with the support of Sacred Earth Medicines for over 15 years. She has completed a traditional apprenticeship with Kambo, is initiated in the Mabanji tradition of Gabon, and has supported hundreds of community members in ceremony. She graduated summa cum laude from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Latin American Studies and Anthropology and most recently completed a 3-year certificate program in Transpersonal Psychology, Psychedelic Medicine, and Indigenous Wisdom with the Awe Foundation where she also serves as a program mentor. Charlotte has lived throughout South America and is a multi-lingual Spanish and Portuguese speaker. She is a lifelong student of the Earth committed to her ongoing unlearning and relearning process and has sat in ceremony with elders and medicine keepers of varying traditions. Charlotte feels that engaging in one’s personal decolonization work is imperative for being an authentic facilitator practicing in integrity, and in service to collective liberation.here

Born into the Yoruba/Lucumi tradition and initiated in 1985 by Olusunmi (Lloyd Weaver) and Adeleti, Ibae (Wambui Mills) Mandisa Mchawi, Osun Moremi has been running Ocha kitchens for many years. Apprenticing with her ojubona since age 9, Mandisa contends that the kitchen is the heart and soul of the igbodu and has participated in thousands of initiations and ceremonies. Mandisa is a daughter, goddaughter, mother, godmother, sister, friend and mentor. Worshipping Orisa is part of her family fabric, celebrating 5 generations of initiated priests. Professionally, Mandisa has worked in youth development for over 25 years and earned her Master’s degree from CUNY SPS. She is the Assistant Director of Community Schools for 1 of the largest youth development CBO’s in NYC. She is currently the Board Chair for Egbe Iwa, a youth rites of passage program in NYC whose mission is to prepare and empower  young men and women to assume age-appropriate responsibilities. In her leisure time, Mandisa enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling. In late 2025 Mandisa is looking forward to celebrating her 40th anniversary of receiving the ase of Osun.

I was initiated to Shango by my godmother, Orisaiye, in 1991. I have been a priest of Shango for 32 years and a member of Ile Ase, one of the oldest and largest Lucumi Ocha communities in the U.S.

As a Babalorisa, I have been reading diloggun for the past 30 years. I was trained as an Oriate by Odun Are and have been seated as an Oriate for 23 years.

I’m excited to offer merindiloggun readings to the BEAUCOUP HOODOO community.

Okomfo Ansa Ankobea is a practicing Akan priest in the Washington, DC area.

Okomfo Ansa celebrates twenty years as an Akan practitioner. Her journey into the Akan traditional spiritual system began with a consultation from

Okomfohemma Nana Enyo Takyiampong, one of the first elders to establish the tradition in Washington, DC.

Because of escalations in spiritual phenomena, Nana Ansa went into training at Larteh, Ghana in the mid-2000s. It was there should she received a second spiritual teacher, Okomfohene Nana Yaw Yirenkyi Opare Gybei I. Immediately upon graduation at Nyame Bekyere in Ghana, Nana Ansa began to provide spiritual readings and consultations to clients.

She continues to support the spiritual communities in the DMV area and Ghana

(Nyame Bekyere and Larteh.)

Onda Mansa aka Dr. Rhonda Coleman

A positive and inspirational professional who adapts quickly to new and changing environments.

A community leader and enthusiastic educator of men, women and children. A passionate advocate for healthcare equity and community empowerment.

Onda Mansa was raised by an immigrant mother from La Ceiba, Honduras, in uptown New Orleans. She began performing dance on stage at age 3 with Kumbuka dance collective under the tutelage of Mamas Jamila, Ausettua, and Greer Goff-Mendy on the corner of Carondelet and Dryades (now O.C.Haley Blvd). She also toured and danced with Estrella Garifuna, a local Garifuna dance troupe led by Dona Zoila until 1996. In 1996, she joined the US Air Force and was later stationed in Tucson, AZ. While living in Tucson, she found the Afro-Brazilian art of capoeira and has been training and teaching the art since 1997. For over 27 years she has traveled across the US, Mexico, and coastal Brazil teaching and performing capoeira and Afro Brazilian dance forms including samba de roda, symbolic movements of the orixas, maculele, samba reggae and afoxe. She has a holistic health and movement studio located in Tucson, AZ where she also offers acupuncture, herbal medicine, and Rootwork TM products.

Michelle Hunton was born in New York to a blended family as the 7th child. Grew up in Hempstead Long Island.

The family moved to California. Michelle was expecting their first child. After the birth of their son, school was back in the plan. She attended Grace Graduate School where she earned a Masters degree, writing her thesis on Youth Gangs and Evangelism. This period of time was filled with new beginnings and challenges. Michelle completed school and had her second child. The marriage ended.

Having completed the Master’s of Divinity and the Clinical Pastoral Education doors began to open. Michelle took a position as Chaplain with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This position moved her family to Rochester, Minnesota for one year.

The next move was back to New York where her God parents lived.Michele continued to serve as a chaplain in the Federal Bureau of Prisons in NewYork. In 1998 she was initiated into the cult of Osossi by Chief Bey Aya Ilu and Iya Barbara Bey Ogunrelekun.

During her career Iya Michelle has served in many boards and received numerous award. Recently was a speaker at the United Nations discussing the needed measures to be put in place to preserve our right to worship in accordance to our beliefs. She is a contributing writer for two books.

Iya Michele has written and published the book , The Adura Circle, Prayers for the White Table. The life as a Yoruba priest is full time. She does Misas often. Odefa is a seamstress and beader for Ocha ceremonies.

Samantha Jo is the founder of Samantha Jo’s Balm Yard, a Botanica & Apothecary dedicated to holistic healing, cultural heritage, and self-care. Inspired by her Geechee roots and the wisdom passed down from her Southern family, Samantha has created a sacred space where ancestral traditions intersect with modern wellness. Balm Yard features medicinal herbs, spiritual amulets, handcrafted products, and remedies that nurture mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being.

Samantha also leads workshops and healing circles through Balm Yard, blending ancient practices like herbalism and meditation with accessible wellness techniques. These gatherings celebrate cultural heritage and equip participants with tools for everyday healing.

As an advocate for mental and spiritual wellness in marginalized communities, Samantha works to dismantle stigmas around these practices. She is also the founder of The Oriyam (formerly The Aura House), a Chicago-based non-profit offering mental health resources and holistic healing for Black & Brown folk, including cis, trans, and non-binary individuals. The Oriyam integrates traditional spirituality with mental health practices, providing workshops and webinars rooted in cultural heritage and ancient wisdom. Samantha Jo’s mission is to make holistic healing inclusive and affirming while honoring the spiritual and cultural traditions that inspire her work.

Skky is a Therapist and Youth Development Specialist in the Bay Area and has experience working in education, health-focused community-based organizations and outpatient clinic settings, with folks of all ages. Skky received her Masters in Social Work from Columbia

University with a focus on mental health, health and disabilities. Some of Skky’s interests are in African/ Black psychology and Indigenous healing arts. She hopes to support communities in healing intergenerational trauma by integrating modalities that are culturally relative andholistically healing. As a co-founder of h.e.a.r.t.space, a digital wellness platform, she is dedicated to providing culturally relevant and accessible resources for community well-being. In her spare time, you can find her roller skating, sitting by the water, somewhere in nature blowingbubbles, or exploring places with good music and good food.

I believe astrology offers a powerful framework for self-understanding and growth—not as deterministic prophecy, but as a tool for recognizing our innate talents, challenges, and possibilities.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

As a seasoned astrologer dedicated to illuminating self-discovery through celestial wisdom, I help clients reveal their authentic potential by translating the sky’s complex language into personally meaningful insights. My background as a fashion and beauty editor and director developed my keen eye for patterns and symbolism, skills that seamlessly transferred to astrological practice. Just as fashion tells stories through visual elements, I unveil narratives written in planetary placements and celestial alignments.

My approach weaves together relational, imaginative, and psychological perspectives, treating astrological symbols as living entities rather than static formulas. Drawing techniques from both ancient traditions and contemporary methods, I create a unique interpretive style that resonates deeply with clients seeking genuine connection to their cosmic blueprint.

Lynaya is a Cleveland, Ohio native. A long time member of Beaucoup Hoodoo she is a Churchy Hoodoo, and a Lucumi Practitioner.  She works in the educational system in Special Education, as an end of life caregiver and is a newly published author.  Her first book, My Mama Said Pray, was inspired by the life and works of her mother Leatha Ingram Ibae.  Lynaya has been working within her community as a prayer warrior most of her life.  

With a journey that began when she was a little girl mixing herbs, muds, and roots on her grandparents’ farm, Lucretia VanDyke has had a lifelong connection to the plants and been in the wellness industry for over 25 years.

Her quest for knowledge and storytelling has led her all over the world to learn about remedies, traditions, and ceremonies from indigenous healers.

One of the foremost experts on southern folk and hoodoo healing arts, Lucretia integrates ceremony, plant spirit meditation, holistic food/herbal medicine, and ancestor reverence into people’s practices.

Lucretia is a Holistic Educator, Speaker, Herbalist, Sacred Sexologist. Ceremonialist, Death/Grief Doula, Spiritual Coach, Intuitive Energetic Practitioner, Diviner, Author, food/herbal historian, & world traveler.

Lucretia has studied with some of the greatest minds of our time. Author of African American Herbalism, A practical Guide to Healing Plants and Folk Traditions, she brings her vivacious spirit and her message of ancestral connection and self love in herbal practices to inspire others to embrace their unique relationship with the plants.

Her work with herbs and ceremony honors African and indigenous healing arts and herbal practices, Women's Wholeness Medicine, grief work, trauma, alchemy,food anthropology, & holistic skin care.

Teaching herbal classes, cooking, storytelling, and foraging in the woods learning native medicines is what charges her soul.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Kelly Seph White is a performer, choreographer, researcher and dance educator. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Southern Mississippi and a M.A. in Dance Education from New York University. She is the mother to a bright and beautiful daughter named Morgan. In her 17 years living in New York City, Kelly had the distinct honor to study under the great Jean Leon Destine, Baba Richard Gonzalez, Nia Love, Ron K. Brown, Nadia Dieudonne and Aussettua Amor Amenkum. She was also honored to have trained and performed at the American Dance Festival, Plaza Cuba, New Waves Trinidad, Bates Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow. Ms. White has performed with Ase Dance Theater Collective, Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective, Kwame Ross’s Prophecy Dance Works and Nia Love’s Blacksmith’s Daughter. Her choreography has been performed in venues and productions such as the 92nd Street Y, Psychotherapy Network Association Conference, Mixed Flava’s Performance Series, Dance Africa, Feast: A Yoruba Project, and Voices of Congo Square New Orleans where she also served as the Associate Director.

Ms. White is a second-generation educator who has brought the art form of dance to a host of colleges and public schools located in Cuba, Louisiana, Georgia, California, Mississippi, Vermont, Texas, New Jersey and New York. In 2017, Kelly co-founded and is the Director of EVOLVE Diaspora where she creates weekend intensives, cultural immersion trips, and community classes for professional dancers, researchers, scholars and educators to intensely study dances of the African Diaspora.

Brooke “Bee” Sanders is a self-published author, podcaster, and fearless black woman. As a 33-year-old Black mother of three, self-care, community, and black empowerment are essential. Spiritual wellness is the key to ensure that work gets done in those respective areas. Brooke "Bee" Sanders went public with divinations 7 years ago and her gifts expanded. Brooke offers various divination modalities. Tarot, Rune, Dream Interpretation, Root Work and Ancestral Channeling help assist people in connecting to their higher self. She cultivates community through impactful events that capture the liberation of honoring our ancestors.

In 2021 Brooke Opened up Amethyst Corner Healing Space to help assist others on their spiritual journey with an outreach of over 15 different states and 4 countries. Amethyst Corner continues to thrive as a now online shop selling aromatherapy products that assist in boosting ones love for self.

Ultimately Brooke lives by the motto " adversity is my superpower" with the innerstanding that while weapons may form (specifically the ones that impact marginalized communities) they will never prosper.

She is currently completing her B.A. as a Mellon Scholar in Africana Studies from University of North Carolina.

Sabine Blaizin, DJ, Music Producer, and Event Curator, is a prominent DJ and cultural advocate focused on African diasporic music. Founder of Oyasound Productions which merges traditional rhythms with electronic music, she spins a diverse mix of Global Soul, including House, Afrotech, Afrobeat, and Haitian Roots.

With over 15 years in the music scene, she’s had the great opportunity to spin nationally in the US in NYC, Atlanta, St. Louis, Memphis, Chicago, Omaha, Boston, New Orleans, Miami, LA/Oakland, NJ, Washington DC, Dallas, Denver and internationally in Canada, Senegal, Haiti, Cuba, London, Paris, Bordeaux, Amsterdam, & Mexico. Thus, she has made significant contributions that solidified her reputation as a key figure in the music industry. She is renowned for her innovative projects like Brooklyn Mecca, a monthly event celebrated as the home of “Grassroots Dance Culture”; Cumbancha, which features African-inspired rhythms in House, Soul, and Latin music; and Rekòlte: A Night of Haitian Roots & House. She also took part in residencies at notable venues like Le Bain (Standard Hotel), Soho House, and House of Yes NYC and music label Fania Records.

She continues to influence the scene with her creative vision and dedication to cultural advocacy. As an activist, Sabine continuously celebrates and elevates the cultural heritage and artistic evolution of the African Diaspora. In this capacity, she is the Director of Programs at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. Sabine ultimately seeks to create new scholarship through the African and Haitian diasporic lens of music, culture and spirituality.